Patrick D. McCoy ’05 (Master of Music in Church Music) was featured in the Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts’ (CAAPA) Candid Cadenzas series.
Patrick D. McCoy distinguishes himself as a choral conductor, singer and music journalist residing in the Washington, D.C. area. A native of Petersburg, Virginia, he earned a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance from Virginia State University where he studied voice with the late Martin A. Strother, sang in the University Concert Choir under the direction Johnnella L. Edmonds and in the Opera Workshop with Lisa Edwards-Burrs. In 2005, he earned a Master of Music in Church Music from Shenandoah University where he studied with Metropolitan Opera tenor and Associate Professor of Voice (Tenor) Michael Forest ’85, ’86, M.M.Ed., and organ/sacred music with Professor Emeritus of Organ and Church Music Steven Cooksey ’89, Ph.D. Juxtaposing a busy schedule with writing and public appearances, he has covered the arts for several outlets, including The Afro American Newspaper, CBS Washington, Early Music America, Examiner.com and ArtSong Update.
Formerly the performing arts columnist for Washington Life Magazine, he currently serves as organist/choirmaster at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Beltsville, Maryland. Notable appearances include presenting at the 2012 African American Artsong Alliance Conference at the University of California at Irvine; moderator for the Mendelssohn Elijah Panel at The Kennedy Center; moderator for the Symposium Series at the 2014 Colour of Music Festival and moderator for the Blacks in Classical Music Panel hosted by the Coalition of African Americans in the Performing Arts. He is a member of the Music Critics Association of Northern America, Shenandoah University Alumni Board of Directors and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
